


Otherwhere

by OtherPaths



Category: Ashes to Ashes, Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-27 01:57:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1710797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtherPaths/pseuds/OtherPaths
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Les Miserables / Ashes to Ashes crossover, not AU for either.  If you don’t know how Ashes to Ashes ends this will likely either spoil the ending for you or make no sense at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Otherwhere

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains anti-French insults, due to the fact it would be out-of-character for Gene Hunt not to make anti-French insults. It can be read as an explanation for why Javert wasn’t in the last scene of the 2012 movie.

“The garlic-munchers are sending Javert,” Gene Hunt announced, pronouncing the ‘t’ at the end vigorously.

“Well, that good, isn’t it, Guv?” said Ray. “For a Frog he’s not bad.”

Hunt ignored Ray’s spurt of optimism. “We’ve been told to give him full co-operation. That means we solve the case before he does. No onion-selling, snail-eating Edith Piaf listening Continental is going to get there ahead of us, or you’ll all have me to answer to. Comprendez!”

Rant temporarily over he stomped back to his own office. Alex followed, getting through the door before it had shut and twitching the fax printout Hunt had been brandishing away from the desk as soon as he put it down. 

“So, this Javert,” Alex aimed for a proper French pronunciation. “He’s Sûreté?”

“No, he’s a judge at the Eurovision song contest!”

“And you’ve worked with him before. And Ray thinks he’s not bad, which given we’re talking about Ray and Javert’s French means he must be very good. Right?”

“He doesn’t like footie, cars or beer, but he hates do-gooders, pinkos and hand-wringing liberals so for a Frog he could be worse.”

Alex decided asking if there was anything Javert did like would be too obvious. Instead she said brightly, “I’ll look forward to meeting him.”

~*~

Two weeks later Alex Drake had discovered precisely two things Javert liked: catching criminals and rare steak. He spoke excellent English, had no conversation, showed no sign of having noticed she was a woman, and was very thorough. Other than work, eat and presumably sleep the only thing he seemed to do was read newspapers, with an intent glower that suggested he was memorising the content in case it might be professionally useful.

There was no reason, really, why she should care what Javert thought or felt or liked, he’d be back to France as soon as this case was done. What it boiled down to was that something about Javert reminded her of Gene Hunt, and she still felt that Hunt was somehow the clue to unravelling this world. 

“I don’t suppose he ever confides in the barman,” she said hopefully to Luigi one evening. Javert was on the other side of the bar with a pile of newspapers in two languages and a glass of red wine he’d barely touched. 

“No,” Luigi agreed. “He never has.”

“Never? You’ve known him before.”

“I’ve known him a long time. Longer than he remembers.”

Alex leaned forward. This was not the first time she has suspected Luigi knew more about this world than he let on.

“How long?”

“Ones like him,” Luigi said, “they’re where they want to be. It’s all they know and all they think of. There are some like that.” His gaze flickered over to Hunt. “There are some who don’t want to be anywhere else. Not yet. Maybe not for a very long time. Javert’s one like that. He’s always been one like that.”


End file.
